The jukebox at the local bar only plays Sweet Caroline and Bohemian Rhapsody, and when I get home I just listen to the Attack the Block soundtrack on loop, so I don’t get to hear a lot of pop music these days.
After January 1st, I like to catch up on all of last year’s best songs. Luckily for me instead of binging on 52 weeks worth of Top 40 hits, all of the toe-tapping tunes I missed have been mashed up into a single megamix. Several single megamixes, actually. The future is now. Continue reading →
Wishing all of the Shot Glasses knurds a happy, healthy holiday season. Team Shot Glasses is planning some big things for 2015, so sit tight and stay tuned.
Trick or Treat! In honor of Halloween, I’m playing a trick on you for this Tunesday and posting it on a Thursday. How GHOULISH!
Also this Tunesday isn’t even a song or album. It’s a podcast! FIENDISH!
We’re Alive is an audio drama about a group of survivors during a zombie outbreak in Southern California. It’s like one of your parents’ old-timey radio shows about who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men, only with better voice acting, sound effects, and an incredible score. This podcast is dripping with atmosphere and can juggle action, drama, romance, and (of course) horror.
We’ve all seen a lot of zombie fiction in the last decade, but this has some of the best writing I’ve seen (erm, heard) in a while. All of the characters are endearing and interesting. Even the zombies have some fascinating surprises in store for you. OMINOUS!
Listen to it on iTunes here, if that’s your thing, or download the files from their website here. Listener beware, you’re in for a scare.
This song isn’t exactly “nerdcore,” but I’ve been on an Eminem binge since Sunday so just run with it.
The true title of this song is “Hellbound,” and the rappers you are hearing are Eminem, Masta Ace, and J-Black. I’d be surprised if you’ve heard of those last two. This song is from the album “Game Over” by Yosumi Records. I’d be surprised if you’ve heard of those last two too.
I discovered this song back into the P2P file sharing days when I was downloading all of the Zelda music I could find. The song was entitled “Eminem Zelda Mix”, three things relevant to my interests, so I downloaded it. The beat is actually a sample from SoulCalibur , “Sacrifice” by Junichi Nakatsuru. I discovered it the same night I discovered the trailer for SoulCalibur II, so imagine my excitement.
This is my favorite mainstream-ish songs with nerdy influences, followed closely by Cocoa Brovas “Super Brooklyn” and Li’l Flip’s “Game Over.” Not to be confused with Yosumi Records’ “Game Over.”
It also turns out that Eminem might be a bit of a closet nerd. The beginning of the song Rap God is sampled from a Captain America and Falcon comic and Marshall goes on to name drop Krypton and Asgard in the lyrics. Combine that with the numerous instances of superhero Cosplay and I think we have a fanboy.
Sonic the Hedgehog and Hip Hop is a perfect fit. And it’s not just because of his fixation on cool sneakers and gold rings.
Everyone knows that Sonic can really move, but most people forget that he also has an attitude. After all, he was the original bad boy (can’t stop, won’t stop, eh-eh!) of video game mascots. He had a swagger to him that Mario just could never match. Sure, it seems like Mario threw more parties, but that’s only because you weren’t cool enough to be invited to one of Sonic’s.
For this Tunesday, I picked three OverClocked Re-Mixes that combine Sonic and Hip Hop into a rhythmic Resse’s Peanut Butter Cup of awesomeness. So check out these great songs:
One of the coolest tracks from Sonic 3, turned into an ice cold instrumental for Just Us to lay down some below-zero auto-biographical lyrics. Brr!
One of my favorite tracks from Sonic Adventure, Unknown from M.E. Re-Mixed with some fun surprises, especially as Jose pummels the last verse with rhymes and references.
I loved OverClocked Assembled’s work on the APEX 2014 album and this track gives Sonic CD the same all-star treatment.
Never forget that Sonic was once voiced by hip-hop icon Jaleel White. Where was Urkel when they made, Shadow the Hedgehog? Am I right?
All the previous tracks are available to download for free from OCRemix, here, here, and here.
The most highly anticipated Mega Man 3 inspired concept album of the year has arrived and it is impressive.
History Repeating: Red is the second of a two part album adapting the story and music of Mega Man 3 into a collection of rock anthems. Continuing where History Repeating: Blue left off, this installment explores the brand new perspectives of four more Robot Masters, Gamma, and Break Man, as well as continuing explore the Blue Bomber’s story arc.
More than being excellent musicians, The Megas are also great storytellers. I haven’t cared this much about soulless machines since I watched Wall-E, Iron Giant, and Short Circuit 2 back to back to back. Each bot has such strong emotions driving their actions.
Gemini Man is so paranoid that someone is out to kill him that he hires his double as a private investigator to watch his back. Needle Man hates himself because his design won’t allow him to get close to anyone without hurting them, to the point where is may do something rash. Shadow Man is terrified and helpless as he loses his original personality and all he once was to Dr. Wily’s reprogramming. And Break Proto Man’s songs are heartbreaking. Envy. Rage. Relief. Peace. So many feels!
History Repeating: Red is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the journey we began with History Repeating: Blue. At only $10, this album is well worth every zenny. It’s available on Bandcamp and on The Megas official site.
StarBomb just released an album full of video game related songs. The Ryu vs Ken is one of my favorites (And by favorite I mean why would they treat Ken like that). You can get the album from their site Starbomb. Language is NSFW
In the year 200X, a robot named The Megas was created by Dr. Light to stop the mysterious evil genius Dr. Wily’s ambition to conquer the world. In the year 2008, a video game cover band named The Megas was created by Rev. Breeding and E to rearrange the music from the Mega Man game series, adding lyrics that would breathe new depth into the Blue Bomber, the 8 Robot Masters, and even their creators.
The Megas’s first album, Get Equipped, is a collection of ballads based on the songs from Mega Man 2. Each song endows one of the 8-bit sprites with very human characteristics and explores them. Bubble Man’s insecurity. Metal Man’s arrogance. Air Man’s isolation-fueled rage. In “Lamentations of a War Machine” Mega Man is conflicted after his victory, wrestling with the concept of destroying his fellow robots in the name of “everlasting peace.”
History Repeating is a larger, more ambitious project than Get Equipped. So large that it had to be split into two parts. In the first installment, History Repeating: Blue, The Megas continue to narrate the very human aspirations and motivations of the next generation of robotic bosses and even their human creators. Magnet Man has a forbidden attraction to Roll, Snake Man urges Mega Man to turn on Dr. Light and join the other side of the human/robot war, and Dr. Wily’s jealousy of Dr. Light drives him insane. Again. And in “(I Want to be The One) To Watch You Die,” the unofficial sequel to the band’s very first song “I Want to be the One”, Dr. Light has had enough of Wily’s betrayal and urges Mega Man to put a permanent end to his machinations.
I’m eagerly awaiting the second part of this project, History Repeating: Red. The Megas has released a small previous of their work in the form of Fly on a Dog. Again, Mega Man questions his place, but this time in the eyes of his “father” Dr. Light. Is he the scientist’s beloved son or just his favorite weapon?
Normally I prefer music that is available for free, but so far I’ve purchased all of The Megas albums. It’s worth it. But if you prefer, the band has all of the tracks from History Repeating: Blue and Fly on a Dog available on their YouTube page.
Once you start to feel the same urge to own it that I felt after listening to the freebies for a week, you can purchase it at their Band Camp page here.
If you’re a fan of nerdcore music and you haven’t heard of Richie Branson, you and I have been living under the same rock. Howdy, neighbor.
Richie Branson is a rapper/producer who has produced Billboard charting songs for some of the industries top artists. He’s also a fan of anime and video games and other nerdy things and raps about them on the Internet. Quite well, I might add.
Last Tuesday he released #OtakuTuesdays Vol. II Mixtape, a collection of songs inspired by some of my favorite anime series and games. I’ve been waiting to hear a good nerdcore artist tackle the music from Bowser’s Castle and Branson delivers.
“I’m fly like I’m in a tanuki suit, bitch!”
Another of my favorites off of this album is Toguro Dreams, which retells the story of Toguro from Yu Yu Hakosho. True to his Otaku MC reputation, Branson highlights one of the things Hip Hop and Anime have in common: compelling storytelling. This song reminds me of other great songs, “It Was A Good Day,” “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” “Children’s Story.” It’s the same thing, but about a nine-foot tall demon fighting an undead high school student.
The other thing Richie Branson is known for is HELPING TO REVIVE TOONAMI!! And we already know my feelings about that block of programming, so I was beyond excited when Adult Swim started the hashtag #BringBackToonami earlier this year. Apparently, so was Branson. He released a rap which helped push interest even further and now #ToonamiIsBackBitches, thanks in part to Richie Branson and us, the fans! Keep an ear our for some music he produced next time you’re watching Toonami.
#OtakuTuesdays Vol. II and the equally awesome Vol. I offer 45 minutes of hot Otaku rhymes and beats that appeal to the nerd and the hip hop head in us all, all for free. If you grew up with Toonami, you need this these mixtapes. Listening to the tracks about Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing, or Cowboy Bebop take you right back to when you rushed home after school and tuned in to see something unique and impressive; two words that sum up Richie B’s music perfectly. Go grab the latest, Vol. II, right here and click here for Vol. I.
And show your support by purchasing Richie Branson’s N.E.R.D. EP here. Don’t worry, it stands for “Nothing Ever Requires Discipline,” so Pharrell won’t be suing for acronym infringement. This album features another of my nerdcore favorites, Random aka Mega Ran.
So, now that we both know who Richie Branson is, keep an eye on his website for new releases and have fun blasting all of that new music. But not too loud, neighbor. I can’t hear myself drink over here.
The IT Crowd is one of those shows that everyone should tell everyone they know to watch. A British comedy for geeks that makes The Big Bang Theory look like 2 And A Half Men. Which actually isn’t that difficult.
Anyway, this song by the rapper Superpowerless (and a ton of guest artists) is nerdcore as its finest. The beat samples the chiptune-ish theme song from the IT Crowd and the lyrics are packed with clever references to the show. This video had me entertained from start to finish.
But seriously, if you still haven’t watched The IT Crowd, start now. All four seasons are on Netflix Instant. And it’s a British show, so if you start watching now, you’ll be finished before the music video above stops playing.